Here's another transfer rumour for you to get stuck into - this time, it's a fairly familiar face...
Back in August, it emerged that Reading were reportedly keen to add LA Galaxy striker Gyasi Zardes to the ranks, with the forward options at that time pretty limited. Now, three months on, the need for more options up top still hasn't completely gone away - with concerns lingering that Reading are a bit of a one man team.
Well, examining recently reported snippets of news, it seems that Steve Clarke might be looking to remedy that in January. A couple of days ago, Get Reading's Charles Watts said that Zardes is 'someone they [Reading] are keeping tabs on, but he would cost around £2 milion.' Indeed, when Get Reading reported that Reading were dropping their interest in Zardes back in August, Watts said that...
"...whilst there is interest in the player, [the] Royals believe there is no chance they could sign him during this transfer window."
So, in other words, Reading didn't follow through on their interest in the summer, but that doesn't rule out a future bid.
Do Reading need another striker? Let us know in the comments
Moreover, there have also - in the last couple of days - been murmurings from across the pond that a move for Zardes from an unknown Championship club is in the pipeline. Grant Wahl, of Sports Illustrated, revealed that LA Galaxy have received a $3 million bid from a Championship side - we just don't know who.
Naturally, it could always turn out to be a) referring to another Championship club (after all, Brighton were also said to be after Zardes at one point) or b) idle gossip. That being said, when you cross-reference the different sources, and consider what's been said at various stages, it does certainly seem to be a possibility.
For a relatively in-depth American take on the rumour, you can check out this piece from fellow SB Nation site LAG Confidential. If anything else happens to this story, we'll be covering it here on the Tilehurst End.